


Tremendous Love

by alakeofstars



Series: Wish You Were Here [2]
Category: NCT (Band), SuperM (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Conflict Resolution, Dialogue Heavy, Domestic Bliss, M/M, Married Life, Protectiveness, Software Engineers In Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-09
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-15 17:54:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29318205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alakeofstars/pseuds/alakeofstars
Summary: I am happy and confident in my marriage, he thought with each foot strike. I am happy and confident in my marriage. I am happy and confident in my marriage.So why the hell did he feel like this?
Relationships: Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten/Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas
Series: Wish You Were Here [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2148465
Comments: 12
Kudos: 54





	Tremendous Love

**Author's Note:**

> This is set after the epilogue of Wish You Were Here, just because I wanted to explore Yukhei and Ten's marriage -- and the idea of them running into Johnny got stuck in my head.

They had been married two and a half years when they ran into Johnny in the produce section of the grocery store.

“Oh my god,” Ten blurted out and turned away from the display of asparagus he had been poking around, trying to find a good bunch — not too thin but not too thick, either, because they would take a longer time to roast.

“What?” Yukhei asked, looking curiously at Ten as he ducked into his side.

“My ex,” Ten whispered.

“Gross,” He whispered back. “Where?”

“The guy with the beanie. By the oranges. Don’t look, don’t look —!”

But it was too late. Yukhei’s head had whipped around and he managed to get a good look at him before turning is attention back to Ten. His cheeks were red and Yukhei couldn’t remember the last time he had seen him this anxious.

“Do you want me to fight him?” Yukhei joked, trying to break the tension but he could feel his shoulders stiffen and he had stepped further in front of Ten without realizing it.

“No! No,” Ten laughed nervously, pressing his forehead against Yukhei’s arm. “It’s okay. You’re a lover, not a fighter, puppy.”

“I can be _both_ ,” Yukhei said, softly now, because Johnny had wandered closer. “I can _lovingly_ knock over his grocery cart.”

“Please don’t,” Ten said, reaching for Yukhei’s hand. “Just be cool.”

“I'm always cool.”

It didn’t take long for Johnny to notice Ten and his brows went up with surprise. His mouth opened to say something but then he stopped, noticing Ten and Yukhei’s clasped hands. Instead, he smiled and nodded to Ten and then, again to Yukhei before going toward the dairy aisle.

“I haven’t thought about that guy in years,” Yukhei said once he was out of earshot, then he glanced over to Ten. He could tell, from the expression on Ten’s face, that wasn’t true for him and whatever knot had formed in his stomach grew tighter and settled, heavily. He did his best to ignore it but it lingered throughout the afternoon and into the evening.

Their errands took longer than they had planned and it was late by the time they got home. Ten made dinner and Yukhei did his best to help, but when Ten shooed him out of the kitchen with a dishtowel, he retreated upstairs, to their shared bedroom, to start picking through the laundry, separating the colors from the whites, towels and sheets from the clothes.

After dinner, Yukhei helped clean up and flipped the wash to the dryer before changing into a pair of joggers.

“I’m going to go for a run,” he said once he found Ten in the living room, drinking a cup of tea on the couch. The cats were piled around him and it was clear that he was settled in for the evening, but Yukhei still asked, “do you want to come with?”

“I’m good,” Ten said with a smile. “My knee has been acting up. Do you want to take Bella?”

“Nah.” Yukhei folded his hands behind his head and stretched back. “I still go too fast for her.”

Without Ten or Bella running along side him, Yukhei kept a brisk pace, hitting the waterfront two miles away with enough time to follow the path along the river. His earbuds were in but he kept his music low, and as his mind wandered, all he could hear was his breathing.

 _I am happy and confident in my marriage_ , he thought with each foot strike. _I am happy and confident in my marriage. I am happy and confident in my marriage_.

So why the hell did he feel like this?

Yukhei ran faster, sprinting past a couple with a jogging stroller. At the bridge, he turned and doubled back, pushing himself to run harder until he reached a bench and he had to stop there, hand resting on the back as he panted.

He walked the rest of the way home and it was almost dark by the time he reached the end of their driveway.

 _Sunday_ , he remembered. The garbage and recycling would be picked up tomorrow morning, bright and early, and it was his job to drag the bins down to the sidewalk.

Being a husband suited Yukhei more than he thought it would. He took pleasure in the little things he could do to make Ten’s life better, the small tasks around the house that made him feel like a thoughtful, contributing partner; his career was important to him but above all, caring for Ten and the little family they had created together was his priority and made Yukhei the happiest.

After arranging the bins at the curb, Yukhei walked back up to the garage and re-parked Ten’s car inside. It was going to be cold; Ten had remote start but even then, after sitting outside all night, it would take some time for the car to warm-up.

(Had Johnny ever cared about that?)

The first floor of the house was dark and quiet when Yukhei came inside, so he headed upstairs after drinking a glass of water and locking up, and found Ten laying on a yoga mat in the middle of their bedroom, Leon and Louis watching him intently from their place on the foot of the bed.

“Yoga with Adriene tonight?” Yukhei asked and Ten smiled and nodded, his eyes still shut. “How is she doing?”

“She’s good,” Ten murmured. “Will you help me stretch?”

“Of course.”

When Ten reached his arms back, Yukhei took his hands and gave a gentle pull, biting his lip bashfully when Ten’s hum of pleasure edged on the hint of a moan. Even after all of these years, Ten could still make him blush; he hoped he always felt this way.

“Do you want to take a shower with me?” Yukhei asked after a beat and when Ten opened his eyes to look up at him, he wiggled his brows suggestively.

“I love you but no. You’re sweaty.”

“I thought you liked me sweaty,” Yukhei teased with a grin.

“I like _making_ you sweat. There’s a difference,” Ten clarified, his mouth set in a smirk.

Yukhei kneeled on the floor next to Ten’s head and ducked down to kiss him. “Is there?” He whispered against his lips but stood up with a laugh when Ten batted at him.

“Go shower. Go! I’ll feel you up when you’re clean.”

In the bathroom, Yukhei started the shower and stripped out of his sweaty clothes, throwing them into the hall to join the rest of the laundry. Being with Ten had made the angry knot in his stomach dissipate but that was temporary: as soon as he was under the spray of hot water, all he could think about was his irritation with Johnny, and his irritation with himself for letting a stranger get under his skin so badly he was still thinking about it hours later.

“I’m going to brush my teeth,” Ten called suddenly, making Yukhei jump.

“No problem,” Yukhei said. He reached for the shampoo and then stopped, making a detour for the bottle of the fancy stuff Ten used.

It took just a moment or two for the scent of rosemary and eucalyptus to carry on the steam of the shower and then Ten was pulling the shower curtain back.

“Hey!” Ten scowled at him, toothbrush in hand.

Yukhei laughed and stuck out his tongue. “That’s what you get for not joining me,” he teased, lathering up his hair.

Ten rolled his eyes. “You’re lucky I love you, puppy,” he muttered.

“You love me the _most_ ,” Yukhei reminded him before leaning back to rinse off his hair.

There was a clean towel and a set of pajamas waiting on the counter for Yukhei once he finished up, still warm from the dryer. It was the little things like that that made Yukhei feel happy and safe; Ten took just as good care of him as he did for Ten. Did someone set out pajamas for Johnny? Had Ten? Had he even appreciated it? Yukhei felt his jaw clench again.

Ten was in bed, beneath the covers, by the time that Yukhei returned to the bedroom. Louis and Leon had nestled into Ten’s side and between his knees, and Bella was sprawled on her side in such a fantastic flop that Yukhei was almost - almost! - sorry he had to move her.

“We need a bigger bed,” Yukhei said, gathering up his tired dog and carrying her to the oversized cushion next to the dresser. In an act of solidarity, Louis and Leon jumped down from the bed and joined her, and Yukhei smiled at them before turning back to his husband.

“I’ve been saying that for _months_ ,” Ten murmured, glancing up from his iPad.

He was so beautiful like this, Yukhei thought. His contacts out and glasses on, hair skirting along the rim of the lenses. He had one of Yukhei’s shirts from college on and it made his heart happy, knowing that Ten liked that shirt specifically because it smelled like him, even after coming out of the wash. How had Yukhei been so lucky to find him?

How could anyone let him go?

Yukhei tugged the covers down on his side and slipped beneath them, scooting close so he could cuddle up against Ten, his head resting against his stomach, eyes closed. Ten’s hand moved automatically to his damp hair and he stroked through it idly for a few moments before he spoke up: “you’ve been in kind of a mood since the grocery store.”

 _Fuck_.

“Have I?” Yukhei asked, hoping he sounded disinterested, like it was the last thing he had been thinking about, rather than the first thing on his mind whenever he had a free moment. “I’m sorry.”

“You're fine,” Ten said softly. “I just don’t understand why you’re upset.”

Yukhei sighed. That was the problem, wasn’t it? Ten didn’t understand and who could blame him? Yukhei didn’t understand either and he knew, he _knew_ that if he could put his finger on it, he could work it out. But he couldn’t and so it stayed looping endlessly, digging a deeper rut in his brain.

“You know you can talk to me about anything,” Ten tried again. “I’m your husband. I love you. I am here to support you.”

“I know. I just...” Yukhei paused and opened his eyes. He could see Ten in the mirror over the dresser and he hated his worried look. Because he caused it. Because he couldn’t get his shit together enough to stop being frustrated over an ex, long since exited. “I’m sorry,” he said again. “It’s not you. It’s definitely just me.”

“Does it bother you that we saw Johnny today?”

“Yes.”

Ten nodded and set his iPad aside, both hands now free to stroke Yukhei’s hair. “What bothers you about it?”

“I don’t like him,” Yukhei admitted. “I don’t know him and I don’t like him, and I don’t really like disliking a stranger this much. I’m not an angry person.”

“I know you’re not.”

“Then why do I feel angry with him?”

Ten was quiet for a moment. “Are you worried about me and him?”

“No,” Yukhei scoffed. “No. It’s not about you,” he repeated. “I mean, it’s _about_ you, but it’s not _you_ that makes me feel like this. It’s,” he paused and worried his bottom lip. “It’s me not understanding how someone could treat you like that. And then just smile and nod at you in the grocery store. He really hurt you.”

Yukhei felt badly as soon as he said it. He didn’t want to remind Ten of the bad break-up and the secret relationship hell that Johnny had kept him in. But that was what bothered him — the fact that he had done that to Ten, to someone Yukhei _loved_.

Ten’s finger drifted to the spot between Yukhei’s brows and he rubbed in gentle circles, as if trying to smooth away the crease from his scowl. It worked but then again, it always worked. Ten knew how to soothe him.

“Would you like me to tell you what I hear you saying?”

“Please,” Yukhei breathed. “Make sense of me because I’m doing a shitty job of trying to explain myself.”

“I hear that seeing Johnny made you feel protective,” Ten said, his voice gentle, and it felt to Yukhei as if a fog had been lifted. That was exactly right: he was protective. He hated that Johnny had hurt Ten and he wanted to protect him, even though the threat had passed.

“Yeah,” Yukhei said with a nod. “Especially when I saw how you reacted.”

“Ah,” Ten sighed. “I’m sorry. I was surprised.”

“You don’t have to apologize.”

“You know that I’m okay, now, right?”

“Yeah,” he said again and then the frustration was back. “But I don’t understand why he did it to begin with. And I hate that I can’t… I mean, I wasn’t there. You didn’t even know me. I didn’t know you. I just hate that it happened and I wasn’t there to make it stop. I see this guy who hurt you and he’s all smiles, and I get it, he had his own thing going on at the time obviously, but he doesn’t get to smile at you. Like nothing happened, like you’re friends. And he definitely doesn’t get to smile at _me_ ,” Yukhei snapped, feeling his anger surge suddenly at the memory.

“I think it’s normal to feel angry at him,” Ten murmured and when Yukhei twisted, laying more on his back, his head in Ten’s lap, he smiled down at him. “I would be angry at someone who had hurt you. Even if it happened before I knew you — and if I saw them after, knowing what they had done? I would be protective too. I get it.”

“I don’t like being angry like this but when I think about it all, I just feel really...” _Powerless_ , he thought, but it was hard to say out loud so he let the sentence trail off.

“I understand,” Ten said with a nod. “I’m okay, Yukhei. I am happy and I’m okay. Can you let yourself be okay?” He traced a finger down the slope of Yukhei’s nose and giggled when Yukhei reached up to capture his hand and bring it to his lips.

“Yeah,” Yukhei breathed against his fingertips between kisses. Maybe not right away, maybe not that night, but Yukhei knew that with patience and grace with himself, the frustration would fade away. “I think I can.”

"Good. I love you."

Instead of answering, Yukhei hooked a hand behind Ten’s neck and drew him down as he leaned up for a kiss that lingered. God, did he love him, every single moment of every single day. He stroked through his soft black hair and he kissed Ten deeper, pouring every bit of that love into the kiss. As he did, Ten slid his arms around him, hands slipping up beneath the hem of his shirt and Yukhei shivered with a laugh.

“Now, if I remember correctly,” Yukhei whispered when they parted, their faces still close. “ _Someone_ promised to feel me up if I took a shower.”

“Mm,” Ten hummed, his sweet smile turning sly, “and look at you, all clean.”


End file.
